Pumping apparatus



' 1622 w March 29,1921 GKAMMERER ETAL 4 PUMPING APPARATUS Filed March 10. 1926 Patented Mar. 29, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE KAMMERER, 0F WHITTIER, AND FRANK HILL, 01? LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

PUMPING APPARATUS.

Application filed March 10, 1926. Serial No. 93,641.

This invention relates to pumping apparatus of the type used, for example, in the pumping of oil from oil Wells.

In the connections between the polish rod of a pump and the walking beam or other member operated by the prime mover, there is liable to be some part that comes loose or becomes broken, while the pump is operating, thus permitting dropping of the sucker rods for a distance of several feet. Oil wells are relatively deep and, therefore, the string of sucker rods employed in the well is long and heavy. lVhen the sucker rods are dropped, they buckle and strike the side of the pump tubing and shatter or otherwise greatly damage the same. This, of course, requires that the pump and tubing be Withdrawn from the well and it is necessary to perform a fishing operation to remove the broken portions of the tubing.

An object of this invention is to avoid the difficulties engendered by breaking or parting of the connections bet-ween the polish rod and the prime mover.

Another object is to provide a fluid cushion for cushioning the fall of the sucker rods.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pumping apparatus constructed in accordance with the provisions of this invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmental elevation of the lower portion of Fig. 1 from the left thereof.

Fig. 3 is an elevation mainly in section on the line indicated by 88, Fig. 2.

Figat is an enlarged plan View from the line indicated by H, Fig. 2, the polish rod being in section on said line.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view, partly in section, from the line indicated by 55, Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a fragmental sectional elevation on the line indicated by 6-6, Fig. 5.

The well casing is indicated at 11, and projecting above the upper end of said casing is pump tubing 12. On the upper end of the pump tubing is a stuffing box 13 through which passes a polish rod 14 that is connected, in a manner well understood in this art, with the sucker rods, not shown. The construction thus far described is common to all oil wells and the polish rod 14 may be operated by connecting it to a walking beam or other suitable operating member in the customary manner to eflect reciprocation of the polish rod between predetermined limits of travel. In this instance, however, the polish rod 14 is shown connected with a flexible member 15 which passes over an idler 16 mounted on a shaft 17 supported in bearings 18. The bearings 18 are formed on the upper end of a standard 19. The construction last described is similar to that disclosed in our copending application filed December 7, 1925, Ser. No. 73,794, and it is deemed unnecessary to show the remainder of the apparatus for operating the polish rod. It will sutlice to state that suitable means are provided for reciprocating the flexible member 15 which, in the instance shown, is in the form of a sprocket chain, and the idler 16 constitutes a sprocket wheel which the chain engages. From the foregoing it will be seen that a relatively long stroke may be given the polish rod and that, in case of breakage of the connections while the polish rod is near the top of its stroke, the distance that the sucker rods can drop is considerable.

The special features of the invention constitute means operable upon movement of the polish rod below the lower limit. of its travel to yieldingly resist dropping of the polish rod and, in this instance, said means are constructed as follows: The polish rod 14 is provided with a shoulder 20 preferably adjustably mounted on or otherwise connected with the polish rod. In this particular instance, the shoulder 20 is in the form of a collar adjustably secured by a set screw 21 that is screwed through the collar and engages the polish rod. When the polish rod 14 descends to a position below the level which it ordinarily occupies at the lower end of its pumping stroke, the shoulder 20 will engage an abutment 22, which, in this instance, is in the nature of a crosshead supported at its opposite ends on the upper ends of plungers 23, the polish rod let passing through an opening 2 1 in the member 22. The crosshead 22 is secured to the plungers 23 by any suitable means and, in this in.- stance, the plungers 23 are hollow and are provided in their upper ends with heads 25 welded or otherwise secured in place, and projecting upwardly from the heads 25 are studs 26 which pass through slots 27 in the crosshead 22. The outer ends of the studs 26 are provided with nuts 28.

The plungers 23 slidably fit in cylinders 29 and means are provided to normally and yieldingly hold the plungers 23 in their upper positions, as in the drawings. Such means may be of any suitable construction and is releasable by weight imposed on the crosshead. This means, in this instance, comprises an annular groove 30 in the outer face of each plunger and a detent 31 yieldingly mounted in each cylinder 29 and adapted to engage the groove 30. The spring that. presses the detent inwardly is indicated at 32, and said spring is housed in a chambered member 33 that is screwed into an opening 34 in the cylinder, near the upper end thereof.

The cylinders are preferably provided near their lower ends with ports 35 controlled by valves 36. The cylinders 29 are also provided near their lower ends with open air vents 45. The cylinders 29 are mounted on a suitable base constructed, in this instance,'ot' superposed plates 37, 38. The plates 37, 38 are provided with transversely extending slots 39, i0, respectively, one of said slots opening to one longitudinal edge of the plate and the other slot opening to the opposite longitudinal edge of the other plate so as to form a central opening through which the pump tubing passes. The plates 37 are fastened together by any suitable means as, for example, bolts 41. The lower plate 38 rests loosely upon the casing head 42 and the lower ends of the cylinders 29 are provided with flanges 4-3 which are secured by bolts hit, or their equivalents, to the upper plate 37.

This invention operates as follows: Before the pump is set into operation, it will be determined by the operator that the plungers 23 are latched by the detents 31 in their upper positions. If it is necessary to raise said plungers in the cylinders 29, the valves 36 will first be opened so as to admit a sutiiciently large flow of air into the cylinders to enable the plungers to be quickly raised. Assuming, then, that the parts are in the positions shown in the drawings and that the polish rod is being operated, and assuming that any of the parts between the polish rod and the prime mover become loose or broken in such manner as to permit descent of the polish rod, together with the" sucker rods, not shown, suspended therefrom, the polish rod 14 will drop until the shoulder 20 engages the upper face of the abutment 22-. The blow of the shoulder on the abutment will free the pluugers 23 from the latch or detent 81, permitting the great load now imposed upon the abutment 22 to shatter or otherwise injure said tubing.

The descent ot' the plungers is retarded due to the air pressure built up in the cylinders.

but said pressure is never sufficient to counterbalance the weight imposed on the plungers, and descent of the plungers will proceed slowly since said pressure is relieved by discharge of the compressed air through i the vents 45 to the atmosphere. Thus the plungers will gradually lower until the under face of the abutment 22 comes to rest upon the shoulders 46 formed by the upper ends of the cylinders 29.

From the ioregoing it will be seen that the invention is quite simple and very effective to prevent injurious blows or" the sucker rod upon the pump tubing, when the connections between the polish rod and prime mover become inoperative to properly support the polish rod and the load suspended therefrom.

Vi e claim:

1. A pumping apparatus comprising a yieldingly supported abutment, shoulder adapted to be connected with the polish rod of a pump and to engage the abutment when the polish rod descends to and a a lower level than reached by the polish rod in its normal pumping stroke.

2. A pumping apparatus comprising'cylinders provided with air vents, plungers in the cylinders, a crosshead supported on the plungers, means releasable by weight imposed on the crosshead to hold each of the plungers elevated in its cylinder, and means operable bydownward motion of a polish rod to impose the weight of the polish rod and its suspended load upon the crosshead.

8. The combination with the polish rod of a pump, of means operably connecting the polish rod with a prime mover. and means operable when the connections break to yicldingly resist downward motion of the polish rod after the polish rod passes below the lower limit of its normal pumping stroke, said means being inactive while the polish rod is operating within the limits of its normal pumping stroke.

Signed at Los Angeles, Calif. this 26th day of February, 1926. 

